Ankle Boot Makeover

On the back of my wardrobe crisis, I decided to get on with a makeover I've wanted to do for a while, of a favourite old pair of ankle boots, that had really deteriorated and looked really quite scruffy.  I had them re-heeled not so long ago, so I was reluctant to throw them out, aside from the fact that they were really comfortable and could be worn for long periods without making my feet ache.

They're a kind of Chelsea boot, made from tan leather, and bought by me from a jumble sale for £1 several years ago.  I've worn them a lot over the years, and although they are a little pointed, I really like them.  However, they had now become so scruffy that I was reluctant to wear them, unless it was just for walking the dog.   I thought a makeover might make them more wearable, plus fill an essential gap in my winter wardrobe.  The obvious colour to me was black, as this goes with most things.  I'd had a previous experience of dyeing a pair of leather shoes navy, and although it worked reasonably well, I was never quite convinced by them, if I'm totally honest.  (Those shoes, although worn a few times since, have now been sent to the charity shop.)

I decided that for the price of a bottle of dye (£3.75), it was worth another try, as in their current state these boots were hardly even worth sending to the CS.  I had nothing to lose, so I bought some dye and got on with the job.  Here's a picture of them before I tackled them with the dye.  They look a bit strange as they are stuffed with newspaper, as advised in the dye instructions.

Here's what they looked like after the first coat.  As you can see, it is a little messy so you need to cover your surfaces and wear plastic or rubber gloves.

And here's what they looked like after a second coat and a polish. 

 

Overall, I'm pretty pleased with the result and I'm looking forward to wearing them in their new incarnation.  I may even dye my old brogues black now and see how they turn out.  Even the heel and elastic on the sides dyed pretty well.  (I didn't dye the insides though, as these won't be seen when worn and might stain any socks or tights). The black leather dye definitely worked better than the navy and I'm pretty sure that I'm going to wear these quite regularly again.  Even if they last me just this winter, I think it will definitely have been worth it.  There's even still a bit left in the bottle to touch up if the wet weather removes some of the dye.